Follow Your Own Compass.

Talkeetna is located at the confluence of three rivers, the Susitna, Chulitna and Talkeetna. Talkeetna began in 1916 when the area was chosen as a district headquarters for the Alaska Railroad. A post office opened as well as a sawmill, trading post, cigar and donkey store and other businesses as well as many cabins. In 1917, the residents encouraged the government to survey the lots on which their homes stood. In 1919, the railroad surveyed and auctioned eighty lots, 41 of which already had permanent structures on them. Learn more.

Denali National Park and Preserve, formerly known as Mount McKinley National Park, is an American national park and preserve located in Interior Alaska, centered on Denali, the highest mountain in North America. The park and contiguous preserve encompass 9,446 sq miles; which is larger than the state of New Hampshire. Denali's landscape is a mix of forest at the lowest elevations, including deciduous taiga, with tundra at middle elevations, and glaciers, snow, and bare rock at the highest elevations. Learn more.

Fairbanks is the largest and coldest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the population of the city proper at 32,515, and the population of the Fairbanks North Star Borough at 95,655 making it the second-most populous metropolitan area in Alaska after Anchorage. The Metropolitan Statistical Area encompasses all of the Fairbanks North Star Borough and is the northernmost Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States, located 140 mi by air south of the Arctic Circle. Learn more.

Glennallen sits at the junction of two of Alaska’s most important highways and serves as a jumping-off point to the largest national park in the United States, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park boasts 9 out of the highest 16 peaks in the United States. The park is situated at the crossroads of three great mountain ranges: the Wrangell Mountains to the north, the Chugach Mountains to the south, and the St. Elias Mountains arching up from the Gulf of Alaska. Many of these peaks are visible from Glennallen and lend the town an imposing backdrop. Learn more.

Located near the head of a deep fjord in Prince William Sound, Valdez is a mix of tidewater glaciers, rainforests, majestic mountains, wildlife on both land and sea and so much more.

You might not expect a small, end-of-the-road maritime community to have a thriving arts culture, but that’s exactly what the town of Valdez has to offer. Hugging a rough Alaska coastline, Valdez is home to hardworking folks with an entrepreneurial spirit who embrace all things artistic.
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Once a bustling railroad station on the line to the Kennecott Copper Mines, Chitina has come full circle in its path from mining boomtown to ghost town and back again. Today, it is the prime jumping-off point to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the largest national park in the country, and hub for salmon fishing on the Copper River.

Chitina serves as the principal gateway for visitors embarking on the rugged McCarthy Road, which stretches 60 miles east into the heart of the park following the old railroad bed.
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From the town of Chitina, the McCarthy Road winds 60 miles through a river valley flanked by mountains. The road served as the route of the Copper River & Northwestern Railway from 1909 – 1938. Today, this partially paved/partially graveled road provides the only road access to McCarthy. Drivers should be adequately prepared for the 2 hour drive, which has no services, no cell service, and narrow, winding, and often rough road conditions. Large RVs are not recommended and it’s a good idea to bring a spare tire. If you’re prepared, the adventurous road rewards with stunning views, access to remote wilderness, and signs of mining history. Learn more.

Haines Junction is located at Historic Milepost 1016 of the Alaska Highway, at the junction of the Alaska and Haines highways.

Haines Junction was established in 1942 during the construction of the Alaska Highway. In 1943, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed a branch road—today’s Haines Highway—connecting the Alaska Highway with the port of Haines on Lynn Canal. Haines Junction is on the eastern boundary of Kluane National Park and Reserve and lies within the traditional territory of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations.
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Whitehorse is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. Like Dawson City, Whitehorse owes its existence to the Klondike Gold Rush, which began in 1897.

To the south are the basalt cliffs of Miles Canyon, site of a former gold rush town. From the canyon, the Yukon River Loop Trail winds north past the Whitehorse Fishway fish ladder toward the S.S. Klondike, a restored sternwheeler that once plied the Yukon River. North, the Takhini Hot Pools’ mineral springs offer views of the northern lights in winter.
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